Pony Death Ride

As we’re building up the 3,700-plus band pages in the Reader’s Local Music Database, we occasionally notice some surprising statistical anomalies. This week, let’s look at a few of around 160 local bands and performers who take their names from the animal kingdom (perhaps not SO odd when one considers that most of these folks grew up within gigging distance of the World Famous SD Zoo). Visiting the individual band pages will lead you through custom-created band histories, membership rosters then and now, discographies, MP3s, videos, links to related Reader articles, and more.

Comedic duo Pony Death Ride is actually about to film a video for their animal costume-themed tune “Furries,” concerning and featuring people who like to dress up like critters and (at least sometimes) recreate orgiastic scenes from Fritz the Cat. “We’re having trouble getting people in animal costumes to commit,” Joe MacAskill tells the Reader. “We contacted the local furries group and, man, those guys are particular. I feel like we're arguing with 14 year-old boys. Because we are!” Email [email protected] if you want to wear a costume for the March 23 shoot in Golden Hill.

The Lovebirds

The Lovebirds just released video for the duo's song “UNI” (from their album And a One, and a Two), produced by Jaymee Carvajal and Leylla Badeanlou. A love story featuring former glee club students of band co-founder Veronica May, the clip also includes LARPERS (Live Action Role Players) the duo met in Balboa Park while writing the song.

Hills Like Elephants have a new drummer, Michael Hams, and they're releasing a new EP called Bedroom Colonies Volume 1. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by bandmember Greg Theilmann, it debuts March 8 at the the Casbah.

Steam Powered Giraffe

The musical automatons of Steam Powered Giraffe will debut their third studio full-length MK III with a March 14 release party at Four Points By Sheraton, in Kearny Mesa. “It took maybe a year into working on this album before we came up with a name,” says Christopher “Bunny” Bennett. “It works great because it references a progressive build of technology, which fits perfectly in a band of singing robots.”

In addition, bands you can find in the Database include Animal Style, Dumest Animals, Dead Animal Mod, Extinct Animals, and Nature of the Beast.

A Scribe Amidst the Lions

Among the fans of felines are Alley Cat Street, Catnip, Groove Kitties, Groove Kitty, Kitten’s Pharmacy, Kitten with a Whip, Kitty Plague, Gypsy Swing Cats, A Scribe Amidst the Lions, Beta Lion, Soft Lions, Beat Panther, Dizzy Jaguars, Dreamtiger, Holytigress, Northern Tigers, Old Tiger, Sledding with Tigers, Tigerbomb, Tiger Milk Imports, and UV Tigers.

Musical mutts include Coyote Problem, BanjoSlim and the SaltyDogs, Despite the Wolves, D/Wolves, Stone Wolf, Two Wolves, Hyena, Hit Dog Hollar, Lost Dog, Red Llama Dog, Rockin’ Dogs, Roman Watchdogs, Roudydoggs, Top Dog, and Puppies.

Out in the wild, you’ve got Okapi Sun, Moosejaw, Elephant, Elephant Project, Elephants in Mud, Wolly Mammoth, Apes of Wrath (now saddled with the vastly inferior name New Mexico), Los Kung Fu Monkeys, Monkeys in Space, Sprung Monkey, Swollen Monkeys, TrunkMonkey, Wise Monkey Orchestra, Bruin, Da Bears, and Jay Dancing Bear.

The Loons

On the wing, there’s Batwings, Birds of Prey, Birdzilla, Deadly Birds, Dirty Birdz & the Horn Starz, Ghostbird, Silverbird, Black Swans, Blue Heron, Clay Pigeons, Common Loon, the Loons, Doves and Desperados, Falling Doves, Eye of the Hawk, Fabulous Pelicans, Finch, Little Fowl, Mockingbird, Pheasants, Platypus Egg, Tarantula Hawk, and Vultures.

Cute and fuzzies include Bunny Gang (now renamed Boy King), Destructo Bunny, Snugglebunnies, Hedgehogs, Marsupials, Red Fox Tails, Taming the Fox, Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, Squirelly Arts, and (perhaps not so cute, though certainly fuzzy) Three Day Old Beaver.

Down on the farm, there’s Calico Horse, Stone Horse, Subterranean Horses, Red Pony Clock, Forbidden Pigs, Gasoline Chicken, Mad Cow Disease, Bantam Feather, Roosters, Billy Joe & the Roosters, Goblin Cock (with Rob Crow), White Mule, Whole Hog, Baby Buffalo, Big Bad Buffalo, Buffalo Picnic, Great White Buffalo, and Cattle Decapitation.

Wet wildlife includes Sculpins, Billy Lee & the Swamp Critters, BlueFrog Band, Alligator Republic, Bucket of Fish, Chimney Fish, DakotaFish, Fish Out of Water, Fish & the Seaweeds, Fishwife, Lizardfish, Red Fish Blue Fish, Dr. Seahorse, Grunion Run, Mississippi Mudsharks, Squiddo, Tigersharks, Turtle B, and Turtle Project.

For creepy crawlies, we have Black Mamba, Boomsnake, Hot Snakes, Metal Snake, Pan of Eels, Mice, Emerald Rats, Ratt, Rat City Riot, and Rats Eyes.

Then there are the insects, like Baja Bugs, Beehive and the Barracudas, Bug Guts, Buckfast Superbee, Daddy Long Leggs, Firefly Jazz Quartet, Grand Tarantula, Immortal Maggot C#nt, Iron Butterfly, the Locust, and Spider Fever.

We even have imaginary critters, like Beware We Are the Werewolves of Belial, Vegetarian Werewolf, the Dragons, Martian Horses, Snuffaluffagus, Tender Faeries, Wookie Garcia, and BB King Kong.

So, do you know or have a band that you’d like to see included in the Local Music Database? To add or edit a page, begin at Band Page Edits.